California Republican Rep. Devin Nunes, who was one of former President Donald Trump’s most devoted loyalists in Congress, is leaving the House at the end of this year to join Trump’s fledgling media company.
A statement Monday from the Trump Media & Technology group said Nunes would serve as chief executive officer, beginning in January 2022. The company is preparing to launch a social media platform intended to rival Twitter, which blocked Trump’s account in January following the deadly storming of the U.S. Capitol.
“Devin understands that we must stop the liberal media and Big Tech from destroying the freedoms that make America great,” Trump said in a statement.
FILE - President Donald Trump speaks during a ceremony to sign a "Presidential Memorandum Promoting the Reliable Supply and Delivery of Water in the West," Oct. 19, 2018, in Scottsdale, Ariz. Standing behind the president is Rep. Devin Nunes, R-Calif. Nunes is leaving the House at the end of this year to lead former President Donald Trump’s effort to launch a social media platform intended to rival Twitter. A statement from the Trump Media & Technology group said Nunes would serve as chief executive officer, beginning in January 2022. The company is preparing to launch as social media platform intended to rival Twitter, which blocked Trump’s account in January following the deadly storming of the U.S. Capitol. (AP PhotoCarolyn Kaster, File)
Nunes' decision comes at a time when his political future appeared in possible jeopardy — draft maps released in the once-a-decade realignment of congressional districts suggested he would face a challenging reelection in the 2022 midterms. Those maps will not be finalized until later this month.
Nunes said in a statement: “The time has come to reopen the Internet and allow for the free flow of ideas and expression without censorship. The United States of America made the dream of the Internet a reality and it will be an American company that restores the dream.”